As strikes on Gaza continue, Benjamin Netanyahu authorized a delegation to continue negotiations for a ceasefire in Qatar.
Israeli airstrikes killed 56 people in 24 hours in the Gaza Strip, including several children and Hamas security agents, and targeted an area declared a humanitarian zone by Israel.
As the bombings continued Thursday and Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it had authorized a delegation from Mossad, the Shin Bet – Israel’s domestic intelligence service – and the military to continue negotiations in Qatar with a view to a ceasefire agreement.
Israeli media announced that this delegation would leave on Friday. Hamas has not commented. U.S.-led talks were repeatedly blocked during the 15-month war.
Human toll
56 people were killed in 24 hours in Gaza, including 30 people during the night from Thursday to Friday.
An Israeli strike killed at least ten people early Thursday, including two Hamas police officers and three children.
The Israeli military said it had targeted a senior police official, saying he was involved in collecting intelligence used by Hamas’ military wing in attacks against Israeli forces.
Another Israeli strike killed at least eight people in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The men were members of local committees that help secure aid convoys, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies.
In southern Gaza, soldiers killed five police officers east of Khan Younes. David Mencer, an Israeli government spokesman, said the strike targeted the head of Hamas’s internal security force in southern Gaza.
Three Palestinians were also killed in an Israeli strike that hit a group of people walking on the street in Maghazi in central Gaza. Their bodies were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
On Thursday and Friday, Israeli strikes in central Gaza, including Maghazi and the Nuseirat refugee camp, killed at least 24 people, including children, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
The Israeli army did not immediately comment on the latest strikes, but said it only targeted militants and blamed Hamas for the civilian deaths.
Houthi missiles and drones
The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile early Friday coming from Yemen, from where Houthi rebels have launched several attacks on Israel in recent weeks.
“A missile was identified coming from Yemen and entered Israeli territory, interceptors were launched on the target”the Israeli army said in a statement.
There have so far been no reports of casualties or damage, but the attack at 4:30 a.m. woke up millions of people and many rushed to air raid shelters.
The Houthis have vowed to strike Israel until the end of the Gaza war.
